[Proposal] Generate pkg-config for server module development
Hello hackers!
I've been looking into making it easier for extension authors to use
other build
systems than make. I don't have everything in place just yet, but I
believe this
first part where we generate pkg-config files for building server
modules can be
useful on it's own.
I'm not entirely sure about what parameters we should include in the
pkg-config
file, but what I have in the attached patch is inspired by PGXS and the
pkg-config files we already generate for shared libraries.
A meson.build file using this could look something like this:
project('my_extension', 'c', default_options: { 'b_lundef': false })
pg_dep = dependency('postgresql-server')
shared_library(
'my_extension',
name_prefix: '',
sources: ['src/my_code.c'],
dependencies: pg_dep,
install: true,
install_dir: pg_dep.get_variable('libdir'),
)
I choose the Makefile to add this to quite arbitrarily, I'm sure
arguments can
be made for many of them.
Any feedback is highly appreciated! We would also need to add pkg-config for
building frontend tools I believe.
--
Anders Åstrand
Percona
Attachments:
0001-Generate-pkg-config-for-server-module-development.patchtext/x-patch; charset=UTF-8; name=0001-Generate-pkg-config-for-server-module-development.patchDownload
From d77aabe5ed49b79b589b78beb5bcf3dc41b2ac6a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: =?UTF-8?q?Anders=20=C3=85strand?= <anders.astrand@percona.com>
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2025 14:55:50 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] Generate pkg-config for server module development
---
src/Makefile.global.in | 1 +
src/Makefile.shlib | 1 -
src/backend/.gitignore | 1 +
src/backend/Makefile | 37 +++++++++++++++++++++++++------------
4 files changed, 27 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)
diff --git a/src/Makefile.global.in b/src/Makefile.global.in
index 371cd7eba2c..3c52525b5ba 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.global.in
+++ b/src/Makefile.global.in
@@ -176,6 +176,7 @@ includedir_server = $(pkgincludedir)/server
includedir_internal = $(pkgincludedir)/internal
pgxsdir = $(pkglibdir)/pgxs
bitcodedir = $(pkglibdir)/bitcode
+pkgconfigdir = $(libdir)/pkgconfig
##########################################################################
diff --git a/src/Makefile.shlib b/src/Makefile.shlib
index 3825af5b228..5664c653319 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.shlib
+++ b/src/Makefile.shlib
@@ -80,7 +80,6 @@ shlib_bare = lib$(NAME)$(DLSUFFIX)
# Testing the soname variable is a reliable way to determine whether a
# linkable library is being built.
soname = $(shlib_major)
-pkgconfigdir = $(libdir)/pkgconfig
else
# Naming convention for dynamically loadable modules
shlib = $(NAME)$(DLSUFFIX)
diff --git a/src/backend/.gitignore b/src/backend/.gitignore
index 931df585bc3..4000e599721 100644
--- a/src/backend/.gitignore
+++ b/src/backend/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
/postgres
/postgres.def
/postgres.imp
+/postgresql-server.pc
diff --git a/src/backend/Makefile b/src/backend/Makefile
index 7344c8c7f5c..63b8a20dc49 100644
--- a/src/backend/Makefile
+++ b/src/backend/Makefile
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ override LDFLAGS := $(LDFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS_EX) $(LDFLAGS_EX_BE)
##########################################################################
-all: submake-libpgport submake-catalog-headers submake-utils-headers postgres $(POSTGRES_IMP)
+all: submake-libpgport submake-catalog-headers submake-utils-headers postgres postgresql-server.pc $(POSTGRES_IMP)
ifneq ($(PORTNAME), cygwin)
ifneq ($(PORTNAME), win32)
@@ -95,6 +95,22 @@ libpostgres.a: postgres
endif # win32
+postgresql-server.pc: $(MAKEFILE_LIST)
+ echo 'prefix=$(prefix)' >$@
+ echo 'exec_prefix=$(patsubst $(prefix),$${prefix},$(exec_prefix))' >>$@
+ echo 'libdir=$(patsubst $(exec_prefix)/%,$${exec_prefix}/%,$(libdir))' >>$@
+ echo 'includedir=$(patsubst $(prefix)/%,$${prefix}/%,$(includedir))' >>$@
+ echo >>$@
+ echo 'Name: postgresql-server' >>$@
+ echo 'Description: PostgreSQL server module' >>$@
+ echo 'URL: $(PACKAGE_URL)' >>$@
+ echo 'Version: $(VERSION)' >>$@
+ echo 'Requires: ' >>$@
+ echo 'Requires.private: ' >>$@
+ echo 'Cflags: -I$${includedir} -I$${includedir}/server -I$${includedir}/internal $(CFLAGS_SL) $(CFLAGS_SL_MODULE)' >>$@
+ echo 'Libs: -L$${libdir} $(LDFLAGS_SL) $(CFLAGS_SL_MODULE)' >>$@
+ echo 'Libs.private: ' >>$@
+
$(top_builddir)/src/port/libpgport_srv.a: | submake-libpgport
@@ -171,7 +187,7 @@ generated-parser-sources:
##########################################################################
-install: all installdirs install-bin
+install: all installdirs install-bin install-lib-pc
ifeq ($(PORTNAME), cygwin)
ifeq ($(MAKE_DLL), true)
$(INSTALL_DATA) libpostgres.a '$(DESTDIR)$(libdir)/libpostgres.a'
@@ -205,18 +221,14 @@ endif
.PHONY: install-bin
+install-lib-pc: postgresql-server.pc installdirs
+ $(INSTALL_DATA) $< '$(DESTDIR)$(pkgconfigdir)/postgresql-server.pc'
+
+.PHONY: install-lib-pc
+
installdirs:
$(MKDIR_P) '$(DESTDIR)$(bindir)' '$(DESTDIR)$(datadir)'
-ifeq ($(PORTNAME), cygwin)
-ifeq ($(MAKE_DLL), true)
- $(MKDIR_P) '$(DESTDIR)$(libdir)'
-endif
-endif
-ifeq ($(PORTNAME), win32)
-ifeq ($(MAKE_DLL), true)
- $(MKDIR_P) '$(DESTDIR)$(libdir)'
-endif
-endif
+ $(MKDIR_P) '$(DESTDIR)$(libdir)' '$(DESTDIR)$(pkgconfigdir)'
ifeq ($(MAKE_EXPORTS), true)
$(MKDIR_P) '$(DESTDIR)$(pkglibdir)'
$(MKDIR_P) '$(DESTDIR)$(pgxsdir)/$(MKLDEXPORT_DIR)'
@@ -227,6 +239,7 @@ endif
uninstall:
rm -f '$(DESTDIR)$(bindir)/postgres$(X)'
+ rm -f '$(DESTDIR)$(pkgconfigdir)/postgresql-server.pc'
ifeq ($(MAKE_EXPORTS), true)
rm -f '$(DESTDIR)$(pkglibdir)/$(POSTGRES_IMP)'
rm -f '$(DESTDIR)$(pgxsdir)/$(MKLDEXPORT_DIR)/mkldexport.sh'
--
2.43.0
On 12/17/25 3:17 PM, Anders Åstrand wrote:
I'm not entirely sure about what parameters we should include in the
pkg-config
file, but what I have in the attached patch is inspired by PGXS and the
pkg-config files we already generate for shared libraries.
Have you looked at Nazir's work in progress for generating pkg-config
files in Meson[1]? Maybe he has some ideas for what parameters to
include. In general I think the goal should be to include the stuff
which is in pg_conifg.
Will look at the actual patch later.
References
1.
/messages/by-id/CAN55FZ138OBEehyxD1FKySMxKFteqf_VOR8LBkz-055YGU12rg@mail.gmail.com
Andreas
On 2026-01-03 01:24, Andreas Karlsson wrote:
On 12/17/25 3:17 PM, Anders Åstrand wrote:
I'm not entirely sure about what parameters we should include in the
pkg-config
file, but what I have in the attached patch is inspired by PGXS and the
pkg-config files we already generate for shared libraries.Have you looked at Nazir's work in progress for generating pkg-config
files in Meson[1]? Maybe he has some ideas for what parameters to
include. In general I think the goal should be to include the stuff
which is in pg_conifg.
No I had not! Thank you for pointing me to that thread, it didn't seem
related when I was looking for threads about this. That patch seems much
more complete and I should probably just port it to make and include
both patches here.
It's reassuring that that patch also add it to backends build file, I
was very unsure about that.
Will look at the actual patch later.
References
1.
/messages/by-id/CAN55FZ138OBEehyxD1FKySMxKFteqf_VOR8LBkz-055YGU12rg@mail.gmail.comAndreas
--
Anders Åstrand
Percona